Happy Kidney Day!

No, not World Kidney Day, but a very special day nonetheless.

16 years ago today is the day one of my best friends received his second life saving donor kidney. I first met Padrin (AKA "Uncle P" to me and my boys) in 2003 when we both worked for the same company. He invited me out to celebrate Kidney Day the first year I worked there and I've been inviting him and his kidney out to celebrate ever since*. BTW, I named his kidney Squirtle that first year and it kind of stuck.

So wherever you find yourself today, give your kidneys a hug. Take them for a walk, treat them to a cranberry juice, make a donation to the Kidney Foundation or sign up to be an organ donor. And don't be shy! I know you're out there, so take a minute and drop Padrin and Squirtle your good wishes in comments. : )

Happy 16th Birthday little Squirtle! You are a big boy now, but you will always be little Squirtle to me. Thank you for everything you do for Uncle P.

xoxo

- L.

*We always celebrate, but this year it won't be in person. Some years it is not, but we always find a way to make things special, even if it's just a blog post and a lot of nice wishes for my dear friend and the amazing Squirtle.

What A Fart Joke Looks Like At 4 Years Old

This is a boy house because it has boys in it, and in our home nature mostly has one over on nurture when it comes to all things farts, poop, pee and boogers. I say mostly because my boys have a Mommy who isn't too offended by farts, poop, pee or boogers and while I don't make a lot of fart, poop, pee or booger jokes, when you are outnumbered it's best to roll with the punches. Also I read a study somewhere that said it would be worse if I didn't.

I haven't posted ALL the fart, poop, pee and booger one-liners, but in the interest of fairness I like to post the best ones and it's been awhile.

This is what a very well-played fart joke looks like at 4 years old:

N: "What did the dinosaur say to the fart?"
M: "Hmm… I don't know. What DID the dinosaur say to the fart?"
N: "Bart soup!"
M: "Fart soup?"
N: "No! BART soup!"
M: "Oh, I thought it was fart soup. Bart soup doesn't really make sense. I like fart soup though."
N: "You like fart soup! Ha ha! Mommy likes fart soup, Seth!"
S: "Ha ha ha ha ha – you just said you like fart soup!"

The boys dissolved into a pile of giggles after and I have a feeling it will be a long time living this one down. It's right up there with the time Mommy pooped.

- L.

A Story With No Words (Because It Was Pointed Out To Me That It Would Be Nice To See More Pictures And Not Have To Read So Many Words And This One Pretty Much Tells Itself, So Enjoy!)

-L.

The Aftermath Of The S.S. Bumpy Night

The S.S. Bumpy Night turned out bumpier than expected. Seth had a stomach virus and my bed was hit hard and then their own bed was hit four times in the same night. It wasn't easy managing two little ones and sorting through all the laundry the next day, but we managed. In total it was 10 loads of laundry and half of it got taken to the laundromat by M. with Nate helping. Seth stayed at home with me.

The next weekend Mommy got hit hard so I stayed in bed a lot and everyone helped. Well, mostly. There is nothing like not getting the bathroom door quite shut in time when you are heaving and having two little ones standing next to you saying, "What are you DOING, Mommy?" and "Mommy, why are you spitting in the sink like that?" when you can't manage a breath to answer them.

Somewhere after that we also got some bad news about having to move again which turned out to be a blessing in disguise since we get to move back to our old neighbourhood which we have missed very much. We are at 30 days and counting.

We had a nice Easter and I didn't even mess up the dye kits this year. I didn't take any pictures so I can't prove it, but it happened.

PS. I think the boys are wise to the Easter Bunny now since one of them saw a little something in my closet the month prior and then quite obviously pretended he didn't, so this is probably our last year of pretending to believe in make-believe.

In the meantime, here is a little video of the boys where you would never suspect anyone was sick although Seth was not doing so great at times (in between the not-so-great times he was running around like a hooligan as usual).

The video is funny because it's not often Nate gets one over on Seth, but he did this time. Pay close attention to the laps Seth is running VS. the ones Nate is running. Seth never did figure out why he couldn't catch up to Nate which made me laugh - also "forestains" made a comeback which is always good for a chuckle. They don't do it often anymore and much like the Easter Bunny, it will be all gone soon enough.

- L.